The Pierz football team entered Friday’s home tilt with Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted (HLWW) coming off a game in which four turnovers and three empty trips inside the 5-yard line resulted in its first loss.

While the Pioneers allowed HLWW to hang in the game through the first half with four more turnovers, a relentless rushing attack eventually wore down the Lakers, resulting in a 47-20 win.

“Unfortunately turnovers happen and we worked on this and stressed ball security,” Pierz head coach Leo Pohlkamp said. “Hopefully this happens less and less. The kids rebounded from the loss and we got better from it.”

“Our defense really stepped up and allowed our offense to settle in and take control of the game,” he said. “(We) dominated the line of scrimmage tonight and really controlled the flow of the game. Our offensive line really opened some huge holes.”